Brine Clutch Elite Moment: Joel White

Brine Pro Player, Joel White, talks with ILGear about his most memorable clutch moment, what it takes to be a clutch performer, and who he thinks is the most clutch athlete of all time.

What is your most memorable clutch moment?

My most memorable clutch moment is stripping the ball from a Cornell defender to put it back on the ground with about 10 seconds left in the 2009 National Championship. Seconds later we scored to tie the game, and won in overtime.

What was going through your head?

Cornell was trying to clear the ball, so as they started with it behind their own net all I was thinking was not to let the ball go past mid field or we lost the game and to try and make a play. I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Why is it so memorable?

It helped my teammates and I win back-to-back national championships.

What’s your definition of a clutch performance?

A clutch performance to me a when a player makes countless plays to help his/her team in that particular game. Now many times a clutch performance is one that results in a win, although I feel that a clutch performance does not always result in a win. A player who sticks out in my mind as a clutch performer when the game is on the line is, Steven Brooks, at Syracuse he won us some games single handedly. It seemed that at the end of the game the ball was in his stick and he was shooting to win the game, which he did for us so many times. Although a clutch performance does not always mean goals and assists either. A guy that I had the pleasure of playing with in college was and still is one of the best players I have ever seen playing the game. A guy by the name of Matt Abbott, he can do it all; offense, defense, goals, assists, groundballs, “the one man clear”, he is just an all around phenomenal player and one of the most clutch players I know because he shows up and does so many things to help the team day in and day out.

What’s your tip for younger players on how to be a clutch player?

My advice to young players about being a clutch player is work hard all the time. Don’t just wait till the end of the game to want to help the team, help the team throughout the game. With that being said, want the ball in your stick, but with the ball in your stick make the right play to help your team. Do not try and do too much because you want to win the game, the right plays win games because the right plays are what lead to goals.